Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside celebrates release of 600th coronavirus patient

Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel lined the halls at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital and applauded the successful, healthy release of its 600th coronavirus patient in a celebration on Friday.

Bianca Jimenez, 19, of Rockaway Beach, Queens, said she had a sinking feeling that she had Covid-19 when she began exhibiting the symptoms. She suffered through the dry cough, loss of sense of taste and smell, dizziness, trouble breathing and fever, which were all in line with the disease she had heard about on the news.

"I kept hearing people were dying from this," said Jimenez, an accounting major at Manhattan Community College, according to a news release from the hospital.

An inhaler prescribed by her pediatrician failed to ease Jimenez's breathing problems. The next day, she visited a local urgent care center and her fears were realized when she learned she had double pneumonia and had been infected with the virus. "I was really scared," she said. "But I thought, 'I'm young and healthy. I'll get through this.'"

"I'm very excited to get home, and so glad I got through this," Jimenez said.

To watch the celebration of her release, visit MSSN's Facebook post, or find it on YouTube.

Courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau; compiled by Mike Smollins